This atlas meticulously documents the entirety of the United States railroad system in 1946 through 202 hand-drawn color maps. It focuses on Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, detailing main and branch passenger and freight lines, stations, crew change points, and various railroad features. The maps are drawn at a scale of 1 inch to 4 miles, offering a detailed snapshot of an era when passenger trains served every town and freight trains were the backbone of national commerce. Richard C. Carpenter, a dedicated historian of railroad lore, compiled this work as the inaugural volume in a projected series aiming to create the first comprehensive post-World War II U.S. railroad atlas.

This volume is presented as the first installment of a comprehensive atlas of the post-World War II U.S. railroad system, indicating a significant undertaking in historical cartography. The detailed nature of the hand-drawn maps and the inclusion of specific features like signal towers and coaling stations suggest a work of considerable depth for railroad enthusiasts and historians. The focus on a specific region and time period provides a valuable, localized record of transportation infrastructure during a pivotal era. The author's background as a longtime observer and collector of railroad history lends authority to the meticulous presentation.